Britain in Palestine 1917-1948
Summary
TLDRThis film outlines Britain's complex history in Palestine from 1917 to 1948, detailing the strategic interests that led to British control, the contradictory promises made to Arabs and Zionists, and the resulting tensions. It explores the Balfour Declaration's impact, the rise of Zionism, and the eventual establishment of Israel amidst conflict and displacement, setting the stage for ongoing Israeli-Palestinian disputes.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ Britain's control over Palestine from 1917 to 1948 had significant impacts on the region's history, yet it's not widely known among the British public.
- 🌍 The strategic importance of the Middle East to the British Empire was due to oil and the Suez Canal's control over the sea route to India.
- 🕊️ The end of WWI saw Britain and France promise self-determination to the former Ottoman subjects, but this was overshadowed by secret agreements.
- 📜 The conflicting promises included Sir Henry McMahon's promise of an independent Arab state and the Sykes-Picot agreement dividing the region between Britain and France.
- 🏠 The Balfour Declaration in 1917 promised to establish a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine, which was a controversial commitment.
- 🤝 The Balfour Declaration was influenced by both religious beliefs in restoring the Jewish homeland and strategic considerations during WWI.
- 👥 The British government did not consult the Arab majority in Palestine about creating a Jewish homeland, leading to a sense of betrayal and conflict.
- 🗳️ The mandate period saw the Jewish community gaining economic and political influence, while the Arab majority felt marginalized and politically left behind.
- 🛑 The 1936-1939 Arab revolt against British rule and Jewish immigration was brutally suppressed, further escalating tensions.
- 📋 The British White Paper of 1939 proposed an independent Palestine governed by Arabs and Jews within 10 years, which was rejected by both sides.
- 🏳️ The end of the British Mandate in 1948 led to the establishment of Israel and the displacement of a large portion of the Palestinian population, marking the beginning of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Q & A
Why was Palestine strategically important to the British Empire during World War I?
-Palestine was strategically important due to its oil resources and its position in relation to the Suez Canal, which controlled the sea route to India.
Who was General Allenby and what was his role in the British campaign in Palestine?
-General Allenby was the British military commander who led his troops across Southern Palestine, capturing Jerusalem in December 1917, and by the following year, had brought all of Palestine under British control.
What were the 'contradictory promises' made by the Allies during World War I regarding the Ottoman Empire's territories?
-The 'contradictory promises' refer to the conflicting plans and agreements made by the Allies, including the promises made by Sir Henry McMahon to the Arabs for an independent Arab state, the Sykes-Picot agreement dividing the region between Britain and France, and the Balfour Declaration supporting a Jewish national home in Palestine.
What was the Balfour Declaration and why was it significant?
-The Balfour Declaration was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, expressing support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. It was significant because it laid the groundwork for the Zionist movement and future conflicts over the region.
How did the British government's handling of the Palestine issue affect the Arab and Jewish communities in the 1920s and 1930s?
-The British government's handling led to increasing tensions and violence between the Arab and Jewish communities. The Arabs felt deceived and economically left behind, while the Jews made significant progress under the British mandate, leading to Arab dispossession and rebellions.
What was the Peel Commission's proposal in 1937 to address the deadlock between Arabs and Jews in Palestine?
-The Peel Commission proposed the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. However, this proposal was vehemently opposed by Arab leaders and was eventually abandoned.
What was the British White Paper of 1939 and how did it differ from previous policies?
-The British White Paper of 1939 abandoned the idea of partition and proposed that Palestine would become an independent state governed by Arabs and Jews within 10 years. It also imposed restrictions on Jewish immigration and land purchases, marking a shift in favor of Arab opinion due to the prospect of war.
How did the Jewish community respond to the British White Paper of 1939?
-The Jewish community condemned the White Paper as an act of betrayal and a retreat from the Balfour Declaration, expressing fury over the restrictions on Jewish immigration during a time of increased persecution in Europe.
What was the outcome of Britain's decision to terminate its mandate for Palestine in 1948?
-The termination of the British mandate led to an undeclared war for domination between Jews and Arabs. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself a state, leading to what is known as the War of Independence to some and the Nakba or 'Catastrophe' to others, resulting in a large number of Palestinian refugees.
What is the significance of the term 'nakba' in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?
-The term 'nakba', meaning 'catastrophe' in Arabic, refers to the displacement of around 60 percent of the Palestinian population who became refugees during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, marking the beginning of the ongoing conflict.
Outlines
🏛️ British Control of Palestine: Origins and Strategic Interests
This paragraph outlines the historical context of British involvement in Palestine, beginning with the end of Ottoman rule during World War I. The British Empire's strategic interests in the Middle East, particularly the control of oil and the Suez Canal, led to the capture of Jerusalem by General Allenby in 1917 and the subsequent establishment of British control over Palestine. The narrative also touches on the promises made to the Arabs for self-determination and the 'contradictory promises' that would later cause conflict, including the secret Sykes-Picot agreement and the Balfour Declaration, which favored the establishment of a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine.
📜 The Balfour Declaration and the Conflicting Promises
This section delves into the Balfour Declaration's impact and the ideological and strategic reasons behind it. The idea of restoring Jews to the Holy Land had been promoted by Christians and was embraced by the Zionist movement, which sought a homeland for Jews to escape persecution. The British government, influenced by Christian beliefs and strategic considerations, issued the Balfour Declaration without consulting the Arab majority in Palestine. The declaration set the stage for future conflicts by promising to protect the rights of the non-Jewish communities while favoring the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
🛡️ The Struggle for Self-Determination and the Rise of Violence
This paragraph discusses the aftermath of World War I, where the Western Powers, including Britain, made decisions about the Middle East without the consent of the local populations. The League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Palestine, obliging it to support the creation of a Jewish National home while preparing the region for self-government. However, the Arab population, feeling deceived and left behind, began to resist, leading to outbreaks of violence. The British response was insufficient, and the Jewish community continued to grow and establish its institutions under the mandate, while the Arab majority felt increasingly dispossessed.
🌍 The Road to Israel's Declaration of Statehood and the Onset of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The final paragraph covers the escalation of the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine, the British attempts to manage the situation through inquiries and commissions, and the eventual proposal of partition, which was rejected by the Arabs. The British White Paper of 1939 sought to appease Arab concerns by limiting Jewish immigration and land purchases, angering the Jewish community. As World War II approached, Britain maintained these restrictions, leading to increased Jewish resistance and violence against British rule. The paragraph concludes with the termination of the British mandate in 1948, the declaration of Israel as a state, and the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to this day.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Palestine
💡Ottoman Empire
💡General Allenby
💡Balfour Declaration
💡Zionism
💡Lawrence of Arabia
💡League of Nations
💡Mandate for Palestine
💡Self-determination
💡Partition
💡Nakba
Highlights
Britain's historical control over Palestine from 1917 to 1948 had profound effects on Arabs and Jews, yet is little known among the British.
The strategic importance of Palestine for the British Empire was due to oil and control over the Suez Canal.
General Allenby's forces captured Jerusalem in December 1917, leading to British control over Palestine by 1918.
Post-WWI promises of self-determination for former Ottoman subjects were undermined by secret Allied plans for control.
Controversy over Sir Henry McMahon's promise to Sharif Hussein of Mecca regarding an independent Arab state excludes or includes Palestine.
The Sykes-Picot agreement and the Balfour Declaration contradicted promises to the Arabs and proposed international control over Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration in 1917 favored the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, impacting civil and religious rights of non-Jews.
Zionism's rise was partly due to the need for a Jewish homeland to escape anti-Semitic persecution in Europe.
Britain's issuance of the Balfour Declaration was influenced by both religious beliefs and strategic wartime considerations.
The Balfour Declaration disregarded the wishes of the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, focusing on Zionist aspirations.
Post-WWI, Britain faced the consequences of conflicting promises, attempting to manage tensions between Arabs and Jews in Palestine.
The 1930s saw escalating violence and rebellion in Palestine, reflecting deepening tensions between Arabs and Jews.
Britain's 1939 White Paper proposed an independent, representatively governed Palestine within 10 years, restricting Jewish immigration.
The Jewish community's reaction to the 1939 White Paper was one of betrayal, viewing it as a retreat from the Balfour Declaration.
Britain's management of the Palestine mandate was marked by a series of inquiries and commissions, reflecting the complexity of the situation.
The 1947 decision to refer the Palestinian problem to the United Nations and the subsequent termination of the mandate in 1948 led to Israel's declaration of statehood.
The events of 1948, known as the War of Independence to some and the Nakba to others, marked the beginning of the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Britain's role in shaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its implications for contemporary British society and foreign policy.
Transcripts
foreign
[Music]
1917 and 1948 Britain controlled the
area of the Middle East then known as
Palestine
this chapter of History was to have a
profound effect on both Arabs and Jews
yet most British people know little
about it
this film is a simple outline of a very
complex story
so what took Britain to Palestine in the
first place
for centuries the region had been ruled
by the ottoman Turks
but when the first world war broke out
in 1914
the Turks allied with Britain's enemies
Germany and the other Central Powers
Palestine and the Middle East were
regarded as highly strategic to the
British Empire because of oil
and also because the Suez Canal
controlled the sea route to India
the Middle East was now under the
control of Britain's enemies
so Britain considered it vital to defeat
the Turks and gain control for the
allies
in 1917 General Allenby and his troops
Advanced across Southern Palestine
and in December they captured Jerusalem
by the following year all of Palestine
had come under British control
her troops would remain there for the
next 30 Years
[Music]
as the first world war came to an end
Britain and France issued a proclamation
promising that former subjects of the
Ottoman Empire would be able to
determine their own futures
briefly Freedom was in the air
however a different reality lay behind
the words
long before the end of the war the
Allies had been planning who would
control the Ottoman Empire when the
Turks were defeated
these conflicting plans are often
referred to as the contradictory
promises
firstly in October 1915 Sir Henry
McMahon British High Commissioner in
Egypt
that promised the Arabs in the person of
Sharif Hussein of Mecca that they could
have an independent Arab state after the
war if they would rise up against their
overlords the Turks believing that they
were fighting for their freedom some
Arabs joined the Allied war effort
and assisted by Lawrence of Arabia
helped the Allies Drive the Turks from
their lands
however for the last hundred years there
has been controversy over how McMahon's
letter to Hussein should be interpreted
did he implicitly include Palestine in
the proposed independent Arab state or
did he not
many Arabs and Senior British figures
have consistently maintained that
Palestine was included
while British governments since 1920
have argued that it was excluded
but meanwhile Britain had become party
to two further wartime agreements both
of which seem to contradict the
undertaking to Hussein
in 1916 the secret Sykes Pico agreement
between Britain and France allocated
what is now Syria and Lebanon to France
and what is now Jordan and Iraq
to Britain whilst proposing to keep
Palestine under International control
then a year later Britain made yet
another undertaking concerning Palestine
in November 1917 the British foreign
secretary Arthur Balfour wrote to Lord
Rothschild a leader of the Jewish
community
his Majesty's government view with favor
The Establishment in Palestine of a
national home for the Jewish people
it being clearly understood that nothing
shall be done which made Prejudice the
civil and religious rights of existing
non-jewish communities in Palestine or
the rights and political status enjoyed
by Jews in any other country
This Promise became known as the Balfour
Declaration
the idea that the Jewish people should
be restored to the Holy Land so that
biblical prophecies could be fulfilled
had been promoted by some Christians
since the 1600s
then from the 1890s the idea of Zionism
began to take hold among some Jews as
Theodore herzl argued that the Jewish
people needed a political homeland of
their own if they were to escape the
horrific anti-semitic persecution that
was Rife particularly in Russia and
Central Europe
foreign
[Music]
by the early 1900s herzl's successor
Heim weitzmann saw Britain as the power
with the global influence to make the
Zionist go a reality
so he set out to convince leading
politicians that the Jewish people
needed a homeland in Palestine where
they had deep spiritual and historical
bonds
the Balfour Declaration was the result
[Music]
why did the war cabinet respond to
scionist pressure in this way
foreign secretary Balfour was one of the
highly placed Christians in British
Society who believed that the Jewish
people should be restored to the Holy
Land
prime minister Lloyd George who also
came from a restorationist background
s of putting Israel back on the map
yet at the same time there were
strategic calculations for issuing the
Balfour Declaration
at this desperate point in the European
conflict
the war cabinet hoped that the promise
of a Jewish homeland would win the
Allies the sympathies of Jews and their
supporters worldwide
however the British government did not
consult the people then living in
Palestine about its plans to create a
Jewish homeland there
ninety percent of the population of
Palestine were Arabs who lived together
with a small Jewish community
Palestine had been predominantly Arab in
culture and language for many centuries
yet in private Balfour wrote
in Palestine we do not propose even to
go to the form of Consulting the wishes
of the present inhabitants the major
Powers were now committed to Zionism
which he described as being of far
profounder import than the desires of
the Arab inhabitants
the Balfour Declaration simply stated
that the civil and religious rights of
the non-jewish population should not be
prejudiced
foreign so when the war came to an end
how would all these complex undertakings
work out in practice
as the Western Powers met in Paris to
negotiate the peace settlement Sharif
Hussein sent his son Faisal to make sure
Britain's promise of Independence for
the Arabs was not forgotten
but instead the newly formed League of
Nations handed control of Palestines
Britain
under the terms of the League of Nations
mandate for Palestine Britain was
required to implement the Balfour
Declaration by supporting the creation
of a Jewish National home and at the
same time to prepare the people of
Palestine for eventual self-government
the League of Nations stated that
mandatory powers held a sacred Trust
to ensure the well-being and development
of people in their care
what happened to the other areas that
sheriff Hussein anticipated would gain
independence
trans Jordan now Jordan was made an
autonomous Emirate under Hussein's son
Abdullah
in the same way the New Kingdom of Iraq
was given to his brother Faisal
these were the rewards Hussein received
for his loyalty to the British war
effort but they did not include Syria or
Palestine
angry Arab crowds soon massed in
Jerusalem denouncing the Balfour
Declaration and demanding the
self-determination that had been
promised by Britain and France in 1918.
[Applause]
having made conflicting promises
Britain now had to face up to their
consequences she had created a
contradiction
just how unworkable this situation was
it took her 30 years to accept
both communities Jews and Arabs believe
they had been promised that land
as the zionists swiftly began to
implement their objectives the Arabs
were the first to conclude they had been
deceived
riots broke out in 1920.
in 1921 there was even greater violence
as Arabs attacked Jews and the British
tried to regain order
[Music]
after a period of relative calm Mutual
suspicion between the Arab and Jewish
communities flared up again in 1929
and rapidly escalated into mob violence
with horrific consequences
133 Jews and 116 Arabs were killed
Britain's response was slow and
inadequate
calm was finally restored by a show of
British Force
meanwhile the Jewish Community was
forging ahead under the umbrella of the
British mandate
securing major economic concessions and
establishing its own elected assembly
and institutions of government
the Arab majority on the other hand felt
Left Behind economically and politically
to be granted Democratic representation
they were effectively required to accept
the Balfour Declaration
but the Arabs rejected this fearing that
a Jewish National home would lead to the
creation of a Jewish state in their land
for their part the British feared that
an elected Arab majority would oppose
Jewish demands for land and immigration
and so they held back the Democratic
progress they were supposed to Foster
under the mandate
Britain was upholding the first part of
the Declaration to establish a home for
the Jewish people
but the second undertaking in the
Declaration
to protect the rights of the Arab
population
proved to be Hollow
Arab belong grew still further in the
1930s when increasing numbers of Jews
sought sanctuary in Palestine as the
Specter of anti-Semitism grew in Nazi
Germany
as more and more land passed into Jewish
hands the sense of Arab dispossession
grew
by May 1936 Palestine was in open
Rebellion
and it was not just Jewish communities
who were being attacked it was the
British too
increasingly losing control
the British authorities resorted to
ruthless methods to put down the Revolt
including hangings
house demolitions
and the use of civilians as human
Shields
for a period British and Jewish men
fought the Arabs jointly in a
counter-insurgency force known as the
special night squads
by 1939
the rebellion was suppressed
leaving the Palestinian leadership
weakened for years to come
to try to address the underlying
deadlock between Arabs and Jews
London had responded with a succession
of inquiries and commissions through the
1930s
their dilemma was that any attempt
duplicate one Community would provoke
the anger of the other
at a loss for a solution
appeal Commission of 1937 proposed to
partition Jews and Arabs into two states
but Arab opinion led by the vehemently
anti-zionist Grand Mufti of Jerusalem I
mean al-husseini denounced any idea of
conceding territory to Jews as
unthinkable
however as Europe's LED towards War
the British government changed course
the government white paper of 1939
abandoned partition and proposed that in
10 years Palestine would become
independent
representatively governed by Arabs and
Jews
controls were now put in place over how
many Jews could immigrate to Palestine
and how much land could pass into Jewish
hands
for the first time
Arabs were to be given a say over Jewish
immigration
the reason Neville Chamberlain's
government swung in favor of Arab
opinion at this point was the prospect
of War
London feared that in a global conflict
the Arab world might turn against
Britain
whilst the support of Jews would be
guaranteed in view of their persecution
by the Nazis
Jewish opinion immediately condemned the
white paper as an act of British
betrayal and Retreat from the Balfour
Declaration
[Music]
[Applause]
there was Fury that Jewish people would
be restricted from finding Sanctuary at
their hour of greatest need
nevertheless Britain upheld the limits
on Jewish immigration into Palestine
right through the war
as refugees fleeing the Holocaust were
arrested trying to enter Palestine
or we even sent back to Germany as in
the case of the Exodus
the Jewish Community turned against
Britain and the mandate
sections of Jewish opinion became
increasingly militant and violent
and Britain suffered heavy losses from
terrorist atrocities
in February 1947 foreign secretary
Ernest Bevin stated that Britain was
referring responsibility for the
Palestinian problem to the United
Nations
by September as the situation continued
to worsen
Britain announced that she would
terminate her mandate for Palestine in
May 1948
the un's solution to the Palestine
problem was partition
but this was again rejected by the Arabs
as British forces beat an ungainly
Retreat and the Mandate came to an end
partition was abandoned leading Jews and
Arabs to an undeclared war for
Domination
[Music]
on the 14th of May 1948
Israel declared itself a state
and was immediately recognized by
America
the events of this time are known to
some as the war of independence
than to others as the nakba or the
catastrophe
when about 60 percent of the Palestinian
population became refugees as they fled
or were expelled
today's conflict between Israelis and
Palestinians had begun
foreign
[Music]
direct involvement in Palestine ended in
1948.
but how should British people today
respond to the story of Britain in
Palestine
[Music]
thank you
[Music]
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